Bach Flower Remedies, a fairy tale?

For almost a century Bach flower remedies are used to balance emotions. These remedies are based on the essences of wild flowers. The philosophy: healing emotions help heal the body. Can the energy of flowers alone really heal emotions? 

What are Bach flower remedies?

Bach flower remedies use the life force energy of flowers and plants. How? Three simple steps.

1. The energy of flowers or plants is transferred into water, using heat. One of these methods is used: 1) Float the flower heads in water for three hours, in direct sunlight; or 2) Boil the flowering parts of the plant for half an hour in water.
2. An equal quantity of brandy is added to the energized water as a preservative. This creates the so-called mother tincture.
3. The mother tincture is diluted at a ratio of two drops per 30 ml to make stock bottles that you find in the shops. However, as you can see, you can also easily create the tinctures yourself.

Dr. Bach created 38 mother tinctures. Each of the 38 tinctures is associated with an emotional state. For example, elm may reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by responsibility. Gorse may help when you are feeling hopeless and desperate. The full list of energetically charged tinctures and their use can be found here. You can mix up to seven different tinctures so it suits your emotional state. 

Do Bach flower remedies work?

Healing on an emotional level can have beautiful healing effects on other levels. Dr. Bach believed that 'disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind'. A positive emotional attitude frees the body to heal itself. Therefore the Bach flower remedies take no notice of disease, but only address the state of mind.

You may wonder: do Bach flower remedies, containing only the energy of wild flowers, really reduce 'negative' emotions? Little research has been undertaken to attempt to prove the therapeutic effects. Some studies conclude there is no evidence that remedies are more effective than a placebo. However, other research shows that Bach flower remedies may:

• reduce pain
• decrease anxiety symptoms, binge eating and the resting heart rate and improve sleep patterns
• reduce menopausal symptoms, such as anxiety, mood changes and insomnia
• manage high levels of psycho social stress
• be effective in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome and pain relief
• reduce dental anxiety in children and show better behavior
• exert positive biological effects

Furthermore, the premise for homeopathic medicine is scientifically validated by the so-called Montagnier study. This study proves that water holds information and imprints frequencies that create coherence in matter.

The world is full of wonders.

References

https://www.bachcentre.com/en/remedies/

Dr. Edward Bach, Heal thyself, The Bach Centre 2009, p. 7. https://www.bachcentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/heal_thy.pdf.

Thaler K, Kaminski A, Chapman A, Langley T, Gartlehner G. Bach Flower Remedies for psychological problems and pain: a systematic review. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2009 May; 9:16. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-9-16, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/19470153; Ernst E. Bach flower remedies: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Swiss Medical Weekly. 2010 ;140:w13079. DOI: 10.4414/smw.2010.13079, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/20734279

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744388107000059.

Suzimar de Fátima Benato Fusco and others, Efficacy of Flower Therapy for Anxiety in Overweight or Obese Adults: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. May 2021, 416-422, https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0305.

Siegler M, Frange C, Andersen ML, Tufik S, Hachul H. Effects of Bach Flower Remedies on Menopausal Symptoms and Sleep Pattern: A Case Report. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2017 Mar; 23(2):44-48. PMID: 28323628, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/28323628.

Robert Halberstein and others, Healing With Bach® Flower Essences: Testing a Complementary Therapy. Complementary Health Practice Review, Vol. 12 No. 1, January 2007 3-14 DOI: 10.1177/1533210107300705.

Rivas-Suárez SR, Águila-Vázquez J, Suárez-Rodríguez B, et al. Exploring the Effectiveness of External Use of Bach Flower Remedies on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Pilot Study. Journal of Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. 2017 Jan;22(1):18-24. DOI: 10.1177/2156587215610705, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/26456628.

Dixit UB, Jasani RR. Comparison of the effectiveness of Bach flower therapy and music therapy on dental anxiety in pediatric patients: A randomized controlled study. Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry. 2020 Jan-Mar;38(1):71-78. DOI: 10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_229_19, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32174632.

Resende MM, Costa FE, Gardona RG, et al. Preventive use of Bach flower Rescue Remedy in the control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rats. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2014 Aug;22(4):719-723. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.06.008, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/25146077.

Montagnier L, Del Giudice E, Aïssa J, Lavallee C, Motschwiller S, Capolupo A, Polcari A, Romano P, Tedeschi A, Vitiello G. Transduction of DNA information through water and electromagnetic waves. Electromagn Biol Med. 2015;34(2):106-12. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2015.1036072.